The Sensorimotor Spotlight

Every teacher and parent knows that magical feeling experienced when a child finally achieves
a skill you’ve been practicing for a long time. As teachers, we endlessly chase this feeling; we
LIVE for it. But what do you do when that moment is not happening as often or quickly as you
might hope? The very best teachers dig deeper, keep searching, keep hoping. And some of
us… we call Millie Smith.

I really did not expect her to answer when I called her that fall afternoon in 2013. And when she
did, I assure you my inner “fangirl” emerged. Millie had conducted a training on the Sensory
Learning Kit during my graduate program years prior, and I had since read or purchased almost
everything she had published. The fact that she agreed to collaborate for trainings and
research within my district had me enthralled. My team and I, along with our very lucky
students, were embarking on an exciting, important journey working closely alongside Millie on
strategies for implementing the Sensory Learning Kit from APH for learners with Visual and
Multiple Impairments. It has been a true highlight and honor of my career.

The tools in the Sensory Learning Kit have been invaluable to my team in Coppell ISD. The gift
of being trained firsthand by Millie has allowed us to apply these tools and strategies to each
and very unique student we serve. Millie has guided our team to bring our specific areas of
expertise to the table (VI, O&M, PT, OT, APE Teacher, AT, SLP, and classroom teacher) in
order to create incredibly collaborative and individualized routines for the students in our
classrooms. We have been challenged, stretched, and strengthened. And we still have more to
learn.

I wish every district could pick up the phone and call Millie on over. She would spend time with
your students, showing them the deepest and most sincere respect. She would look you in the
eye and give you the encouragement to remember why you do what you do for a living. She
would give your team the confidence and inspiration to make a difference in these students’
lives every day.

While she can’t be everywhere, Millie and our team would love to share our “Sensorimotor
Spotlight” Newsletter with this community. This monthly digital newsletter will share everyday
strategies from the field for implementing the Sensory Learning Kit and instructional routines.
We will share videos, sample routines, and assessment examples to demonstrate how to put
the tools into practice in a variety of ways. We also encourage teachers and parents to submit
situations that may be selected for case studies. If selected, our team will model how we would
approach a particular student’s instructional programming and demonstrate the robust tools and approaches outlined in the Sensory Learning Kit for teaching students with visual and multiple impairments.

Please subscribe to our newsletter and share in this incredible journey with our team!